hoist

American  

[hoist, hahyst] / hɔɪst, haɪst /

verb (used with object)

• hoists,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hoisted,
  past participle,  past
• hoisting
  present participle

1. to raise or lift, especially by some mechanical appliance.

   to hoist a flag; to hoist the mainsail.

   Synonyms:

   elevate

   Antonyms:

   lower

2. to raise to one's lips and drink; drink (especially beer or whiskey) with gusto.

   Let's go hoist a few beers.

3. Archaic. a simple past tense and past participle of hoise.

---

noun

• hoists
  plural

1. an apparatus for hoisting, as a block and tackle, a derrick, or a crane.

2. act of hoisting; a lift.

   Give that sofa a hoist at your end.

3. Nautical.

   1. the vertical dimension amidships of any square sail that is hoisted with a yard.

   2. the distance between the hoisted and the lowered position of such a yard.

   3. the dimension of a fore-and-aft sail along the luff.

   4. a number of flags raised together as a signal.

4. (on a flag)

   1. the vertical dimension as flown from a vertical staff.

   2. the edge running next to the staff.

idioms

1. hoist by / with one's own petard. petard.

hoist British  

/ hɔɪst /

verb

1. (tr) to raise or lift up, esp by mechanical means

2. See petard

---

noun

1. any apparatus or device for hoisting

2. the act of hoisting

3. See rotary clothesline

4. nautical

   1. the amidships height of a sail bent to the yard with which it is hoisted Compare drop

   2. the difference between the set and lowered positions of this yard

5. nautical the length of the luff of a fore-and-aft sail

6. nautical a group of signal flags

7. the inner edge of a flag next to the staff Compare fly 1

Synonym Usage

See raise.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hoister
  noun
• unhoisted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hoists
  plural

Participles

• hoisting
  present
• hoisted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hoist
  simple
• hoists
  simple
• have hoisted
  perfect
• has hoisted
  perfect
• am hoisting
  progressive
• are hoisting
  progressive
• is hoisting
  progressive
• have been hoisting
  perfect progressive
• has been hoisting
  perfect progressive

Past

• hoisted
  simple
• had hoisted
  perfect
• was hoisting
  progressive
• were hoisting
  progressive
• had been hoisting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hoist
  simple
• will have hoisted
  perfect
• will be hoisting
  progressive
• will have been hoisting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of hoist

First recorded in 1540–50; later variant of hoise, with -t as in against, etc.

Explanation

To hoist is to raise up or lift, like a crane or forklift would. You can hoist yourself up onto the roof to get a better view, or hoist your teammate onto your shoulders after she scores the winning goal. This word is generally used to describe heavier lifting, like the hoisting of a fallen tree onto the bed of a truck or hoisting the Super Bowl trophy over your head after the big game. In nautical terms, where it comes up often, hoist refers to a group of flags that are raised all at once to communicate a signal.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hoist hoists hoisted hoisting

He needs specialised equipment such as a hoist which allows him to be transferred from a wheelchair into a bed, or helps him use the bathroom.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Here, a filmmaker who managed to reach the peak of Olympus makes the prideful, ill-fated decision to hoist a ladder toward the stars, trying to get even higher, past where even the Gods can see.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

In addition to Portugal, another nation targeted by Levy’s AI model is Morocco — representing a continent, Africa, that has never seen one of its nations hoist the trophy.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

Only then would Rai get his chance to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026

I rush from the room and hoist myself into the dumbwaiter.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

"The law means reasonable adaptions, but for people like me that doesn't go far enough – you need the hoists and the beds to really make it workable," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

By most measures, the United States still hoists plenty of power on the global stage.

From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026

Whichever team hoists the winning World Cup soccer trophy this summer will be the recipients of a very valuable prize, thanks to rising gold prices.

From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026

Then she hoists each dog onto a work table, attaching the animal loosely to a loop she cheerfully calls a noose.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026

Lourdes turns her flashlight on the river, penetrating its rippled surface, then hoists herself over the fence.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

I deserved to be hoisted in the air in a true “Dirty Dancing” moment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Barely a week after they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, the Allen estate announced that the team was up for sale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

She and del Vecchio were alleged to have hoisted a flag of the Islamic State group in the reserve where the couple disappeared in 2018.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Instead, she was hoisted onto the shoulders of social media and showered with virtual applause.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

James hoisted the little boy up onto the bank.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Microsoft on Tuesday sought to reassure European users with a "multi-billion-dollar" deal to rent AI infrastructure from Mistral, hoisting the French developer into the lucrative business of renting compute capacity.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

They barely finish before other mids start hoisting each other into a crude human pyramid.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

"That was beautiful," Arteta said after lifting the Premier League trophy for the first time, hoisting it aloft at Selhurst Park following Sunday's 2-1 win against Crystal Palace.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

A statue of a soldier stands on a column rising from the rubble, hoisting a Russian flag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

If the land floods during typhoons, villagers help their neighbors by hoisting the house onto their shoulders with wooden poles and walking it to its next spot.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Related Words

• erect
• heave
• pick up